Fort Jay Theater - New York, NY
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 40° 41.252 W 074° 01.040
18T E 583034 N 4504535
A historic theater on Governors Island.
Waymark Code: WMYZ7X
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 08/14/2018
Views: 1
The plaque says, "On Governors Island, jus a boat ride away from the bustle of New York City, entertainment could be hard to come by. Nevertheless, performances were an integral part of life on the Island, with early shows staged in an old YMCA building, then in the new YMCA (still standing) next door to this theater. In 1939, a new movie theater was constructed under the supervision of the Army Motion Picture Service, which was responsible for theaters on bases nationwide. During 1941, draftees with experience in civilian theater were called to produce stage shows to raise troop morale.
In order to support the war effort, Broadway musical composer Irving Berlin helped produces a show about World War II called "This is the Army", inspired by a performance he saw at the Fort Jay Theater in 1942. The theater continued to show movies to the Army and then Coast Guard personal and their families until the base closed in 1996. At that time double features of first-run films on Friday night cost two dollars!"
Theater Name: Fort Jay Theater
Country: United States
Address:
Govenors Island, New York City, NY, USA
Venue: Community Theater
Type of Productions:
Plays
Restored Building: yes
Stage Type: Proscenium
Web Site: Not listed
Date of Construction: Not listed
Architect/Designer: Not listed
Seating Capacity: Not Listed
Special Productions/Events/Festivals: Not listed
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